Illustration by Jacqueline Subkhanberdina

Crooked teeth challenge the banality of our dinner
A jagged cemetery that haunts my speech
You were floating past the hinterlands of my embarrassment
Toward the monochrome beach of intimacy

You were floating past the hinterlands of my embarrassment
Searching for nothing in particular
In the meantime, I slashed through premonitions of loneliness
I calculated for myself in the bubbles of midnight

In the meantime, I slashed through premonitions of loneliness
Predicated on your impending departure
I slept on an enemy’s couch, I slept as dense as a dog
and you are a stomach of suitcases

I slept on an enemy’s couch, I slept as dense as a dog
That night, my tears gathered on the acetate
Nausea flares and I’m steeped in your parting decree
Woken up by the pigeons menacing someone else’s windowsill

Nausea flares and I’m steeped in your parting decree
I cannot enter your language, only listen to it
Finally, leashed to my chair in a bolted cinema
I turn toward the exit closest to you

Annelie Hyatt (she/her) is a senior at Barnard College studying English and history. She enjoys reading books and playing kendo in her free time.